Alabama, Aggies' Manziel highlight good in SEC at halfway point

Boy, time flies when you're having fun. Well, that may only apply to some of the schools in this conference.

That's why it's time to break down the league at the halfway point and see what we've got:

Best team

I'd really like to go against the grain here, but after watching all 14 teams in the SEC, it's impossible to go against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is No. 1 in total defense, scoring defense, passing defense, rushing defense, passing efficiency defense and turnover margin. Those aren't just SEC stats. Alabama is tops in all those categories nationally.

I'm not saying Nick Saban's bunch can't be beat; the schedule hasn't been too daunting, and I don't think LSU and South Carolina are too far behind. Bama faces the Tigers next month, and the Gamecocks still have a chance to make the SEC Championship Game to decide this debate.

Best player

This category is much harder to nail down. There are a lot of players having very good seasons; no one's really distinguished himself yet, especially since some teams haven't played more than three SEC games so far.

LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery is a beast. USC's Jadeveon Clowney, who plays the same position, is among the best players anywhere. Running backs like Florida's Mike Gillislee, USC's Marcus Lattimore and Georgia's Todd Gurley are having nice seasons. And quarterbacks like Tennessee Tyler Bray and Arkansas' Tyler Wilson are putting up big numbers.

With that said, the guy who's playing the best at this moment is Texas A&M freshman QB Johnny Manziel, who's second nationally in total offense. He leads the league in rushing and is third in passing on a team that's 5-1. Let's see what he does this week against LSU and go from there.

Biggest surprise

My first thought for this category was Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are out to an improbable 6-0 start and rank fifth in the league in both offense and defense. Then, I looked at the poll and remembered where Florida sits. The No. 2 Gators are no stranger to a high a ranking, but it hasn't happened under Will Muschamp until now. Florida's in the top 15 in rushing nationally and ranked sixth in points allowed. It's running a formula that wins a lot of games. The Gators face a huge test this week against USC. Win that, and Muschamp might be well on his way to the SEC East title. Few would've predicted that in July.

Biggest disappointment

Before last Saturday, I was ready to flip a coin between Arkansas and Auburn. But the Razorbacks are on a two-game winning streak, despite not ranking in the top 70 nationally in rushing, points scored or points allowed.

The team that's been the biggest letdown is Auburn — and it's not because anybody was really expecting a whole lot. To see the Tigers sitting in the cellar of the SEC West with a 1-5 overall record and 0-4 mark in conference play shows just how far this program has fallen since winning the BCS title in 2010. The ultimate sign that this team is a complete dumpster fire? Auburn is an 8-point underdog at Vanderbilt this week.